Our Orlando Vacation At Global Resort Homes (review)

If you're ever thinking of vacationing in Orlando, Florida, I want to introduce you to Global Resort Homes. 

Offering the finest in rental homes from condos to two-story homes, Global Resort Homes brings comfort, relaxation, and convenience to any Orlando vacation.


WAY back in February, I was offered a resort home to enjoy with my family and we planned to schedule that for a vacation in September. In the meantime, I was planning out our vacation and excited that we would also be brining along my parents to give them a little get away time too.


Our arrival date came and we couldn't be happier to find the Global Resort Homes office to check-in. At check-in, we were given a gift bag with goodies in it along with instructions on how to unlock the door (they have a wonderful code system), disarm the alarm, check in with the main gate of our home's community, and get access to the clubhouse.

To you, that may sound like a lot of information but I can sum it up by saying one word. "Safety." We were staying in the Windsor Hills community (one of several communities available to rent from) where security guards work at the entrance gates to allow people to enter and leave. Our home had its own security system on it and our key code was specific to our stay and would be changed after we left. It was wonderful to feel so safe in the home.

Now, the beautiful thing about Global Resort Homes is that no 2 of the houses are the same. Each home is privately owned and Global Resort Homes rents and manages the properties while the owners are away. Our home? It was A-mazing!

We stayed in 2610 Bowring Street. This is a 4 bedroom home with a private, screened in pool and spa. Now, there are 4 bedrooms in this house, but it can easily (and comfortably, I might add) sleep 12 people. Two of the bedrooms have 2 twin beds and there are 2 pull out couches in 2 separate rooms of the house.

And can I just add the convenience of this location? It was a 10 minute drive to Disney World from the home which was so nice to have. It was also off the main road but very close to grocery stores, restaurants, gas stations, and many other shopping and entertainment spots.

First, I'll show you a bit of the bedrooms.

 

This was my parent's room at the front of the house. It has a King size bed, a full bath, a nice sized closet and a flat screen TV with a DVD player. It's gorgeous, right?

Next to that room is this bedroom with 2 twin beds, a closet, full bath, and flat screen TV with a DVD player. We set up Eliana's pack'n'play in here and let her have this room all to herself.

Off a different hallway, is this bedroom with 2 twin beds, a closet, and a flat screen TV with a DVD player. This bedroom had access to a full bath but this was also shared with the rest of the house. Alex slept in this room and had fun changing which bed he preferred to sleep in.

Finally, this is the master bedroom that the hubster and I slept in. It has a King size bed, full bath, closet, flat screen TV with a DVD player, and a big door wall that opened up to the screened in pool and spa outside. I LOVED everything about this room and felt as though it was decorated with me in mind.

Since we were staying in a house, we took full advantage of the full kitchen and went grocery shopping to stock it up. The kitchen had plates, bowls, silverware, mugs, glasses, pots and pans, and other basic needs for cooking so we were all set there. I loved the breakfast bar and the granite counter tops. It was stunning.

 Of course, if you're going to house 12 people, there need to be 12 places to eat. No worries there. The house had a dining table that sat 6, a breakfast bar that sat 3, and another table that sat 4.

The living area was wonderful. It has a pull-out couch, love seat, and a recliner. It also has a flat screen TV, DVD player, and surround sound. This was the area where the kids did a lot of playing. Eliana cruised around the furniture and Alex drove his cars on the coffee table.

Another room that got a lot of use was the game room. (I'm not sure that every house from Global Resort Homes has this so you'll have to read the home's full description before you choose to rent it.) In our game room was a pool table, an air hockey table, a pull-out couch, 2 bar tables and chairs, a flat screen TV, a Playstation game system with a few games, and a washer and dryer.

Alex and his Grandpa spent a lot of time in the game room while we were there. Alex just loved the games but he knew that children under 10 couldn't be in there alone. Being that my dad loves his video games, this wasn't a problem at all. :)

Knowing we had a washer and dryer in the house was a lifesaver. We packed conservatively and just washed items as we needed to wear them again. Our bathing suits never had to be wet when we put them back on to go swimming (again) as we could throw them in the dryer between uses. And our laundry could be CLEAN when we left!! This saved us from having to do that when we got home. (Thank goodness!)

I know, I keep mentioning the pool. I loved having a private pool and my kiddos loved swimming in it too. Alex asked every day to use it and I was more than happy to join him.

And can you see why? *sigh* Heaven.

As a mom, I loved that the doors out to the pool had locks that children can't reach and an alarm system that goes off if someone opens the door and correctly deactivate the alarm. Should a child happen to get outside, the house would be alerted within 7 seconds of the door being opened. This made me feel a lot better about having little ones in a home with a pool.

And yes, there's a flat screen TV with a DVD player outside as well. Not only that, there's surround sound as well so you can watch and hear the movie while chilling in the spa. What a wonderful way to pamper yourself in the true spirit of vacation.

And just in case you want to work out or play outside, Windsor Hills has many things right in its community to entertain anyone. Right outside our house, we found a playground with all the climbing and sliding activities that Alex enjoys.




There is also a huge, gated playground in walking distance from the house we stayed in. It has a merry-go-round, teeter-totters, a big chessboard on the ground with big pieces to play with, swings, and picnic tables.

And while Alex enjoyed climbing and sliding, Eliana was loving the swings. :) 

Inside the clubhouse is a small convenience store, an arcade area, a work out room stocked with very nice equipment, a small movie theater, and a big pool with zero-entry so little ones can come and go with ease. It also has a water slide and fountains for little ones to play in. The hubster was very impressed with the work-out room and visited a few times during our stay. And while I didn't get to take advantage of it, I think the movie theater is a great way to get out of the house and do something different on rainy days.

The home we stayed in costs around $383 a night.(There are deals to be had and some rental times are cheaper than others. I saw it as low as $300 a night.) With all it's room and convenience, though, it's well worth the price. There's no way my family could have fit as comfortably with my parents in a hotel room and you can forget about privacy. We could park right at our house and come and go as we pleased without having to wait for anyone else or getting in anyone else's way. No elevators, no need to be out of the room for room service to clean it, no sounds of children running up and down the hallways while you try to get yours down to sleep, no fighting over the TV. You can do what you want when you want and save a bunch of money by purchasing your own groceries and making your own meals. And think of it this way, we had 2 families in our house. Split the 383 a night down the middle and you're paying far less than a resort hotel and getting more benefits. Should you include a 3rd family (you know, with all the space and beds), now your share is 1/3 of the cost leaving more money for area attractions. (some additional options cost extra. See the details on the home you choose as each home is different.)

If you live in a four season state like I do, you'll love the weather in Orlando. (It was in the 90's when we were there) and there's no one better to make you feel at home while you're away from home than Global Resort Homes. Click the link or call 1 877 465 4401 for more information.

** Thanks to Global Resort Homes who gave us a complimentary week's stay in exchange for an honest post. I received no other compensation. My opinion is mine and mind alone. Others may not have the same experience or agree with my opinion.**